Wrench.



No. 882,098. PATENTED OUT. 2, 1906, s. E. THOMAS.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2, 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 2, 1906.

Application filed September 2. 1905. Serial No. 276,788.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN EICHLEBUR- GER THOMAS, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Hagan, in the county of Tattnall and State ofGeorgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in W'renches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to that class of sliding-jaw wrenches in which apivoted catch cooperates with a rack on the shank of the fixed jaw toadjustably fix the sliding jaw with respect to the fixed jaw; and itconsists in the peculiar and advantageous construction, hereinafterdescribed and claimed, calculated to lend strength to the wrench andmaterially prolong the usefulness of" the same.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a side elevation of my novel wrench. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation with one section of the body of the sliding jaw removed. Fig.3 is an edge elevation of the wrench, showing the handle incross-section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlargedtransverse section taken in the plane indicated by the line 4 4 of Fig.2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrow.

Similar numerals designate corresponding parts in all of the views ofthe drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the shank of the wrench, which isprovided at one end with a fixed jaw 2 and is also provided at anintermediate point of its length with a rack made up of rectangularteeth 9 and interdental spaces 10, as shown. At its opposite end withreference to the jaw 2 the shank 1 is provided with a handle portion.This handle portion may be of any construction compatible with thepurpose of my invention without involving a departure from the scopethereof, though I prefer to have it comprise. a yoke 4, which has endshoulders 5 and 6 and wood portions 7 interposed between the shoulders 5and 6 and resting at opposite sides of the shank and connected theretothrough the medium of transverse screws 8.

The slidable jaw is mounted and arranged to move longitudinally on theshank 1 between the handle portion thereof and the fixed jaw 2, and itcomprises a body made up of two equally thick sections 11 and 12, theopposed faces of which meet above and below and in the same verticalplane as the lontudinal center of shank 1, a pivoted catch 16, and aspring 20, backing the catch and normally holding the same in engagementwith the teeth of the rack. The body-sections 11 and 12 are provided intheir inner sides with grooves or channels 12 of a size in cross-sectionto snugly receive the shank 1, and they are also provided above andbelow the shank with transversely-apertured lugs 13, 14, and 14*,designed to receive transverse screws 22 or the like, through the mediumof which the sections are detachably connected together. In their innersides the sections 11 and 12 are provided with recesses 13 and 13*, therecesses 13 extending to the rack edge of the shank 1 and being providedwith rounded forward ends 13 and the recesses 13 being arranged at theopposite side of the recesses 13* with reference to the shank 1 andextending forwardly of the said recesses v13 for a purpose which willpresently appear. The catch 16 corresponds in thickness to the width ofthe combined recesses 13 and is arranged in said recesses and pivotallyconnected through the medium of the transverse pin 15 to thebody-sections 11 and 12. At its forward end the catch 16 is rounded andsnugly fitted in the rounded ends 13 of the recesses 13, andconsequently it will be apparent that when the sliding jaw is subjectedto pressure strain is removed from the pivot-pin 15 and liability ofsaid pin to break is reduced to a minimum. On its inner edge, whichnormally rests parallel to the edge of the shank 1, the catch 16 isprovided with a plurality of rectangular teeth, designed to engage theteeth 9 of the shank 1 after the manner shown in Fig. 2. When the teethof the catch are thus engaged with the teeth of the shank, pressureexerted on the sliding jaw in a direction away from the fixed jaw 2 willtend to hold the catch in engagement with the rack and against casualrelease therefrom, and it will also be noted that the spring 20 and thepivot-pin 15 are relieved of strain The spring 20 bears at its rear endagainst the rear portion of the catch 16 and tends to hold the catch inand return it to the normal position. (Shown in Fig. 1.) The said spring20 is snugly and removably arranged partly in the recess 13 ofbody-section 11 and partly in the recess 13 of the body-section 12, andhence it follows that with said body-sections 11 and 12 properlyconnected together the forward portion of the spring is clamped betweenthe sections 11 and 12 and is incl-osed and securely held throughout itslength and width. It also follows that when one body-section 11 or 12 isdisconnected and removed from the other the spring 20 may be readilylifted from the groove 13 in such other and as readily replaced with anew spring, and it will further be noted that the extension of thespring 20 forward beyond the pivot of the catch 16 is advantageous,because it enables the body-sections 11 and 12 to strongly clamp andhold a considerable part of the spring between them.

Extending in opposite directions from the catch 16 are thumb-pieces 17,which are disposed and movable in slots 18 in the bodysections 11 and12, while surrounding the slots at the outer sides of the body-sections1]. and12 are depressions 19, said depressions being provided in orderto enable the opera tor to readily bear against the said thumbpieces 17.

In the practical use of my novel wrench the catch 16 is held out ofengagement with the rack on the shank 1 and the sliding aw is moved tothe position desired relative to the fixed jaw 2-when the said catch 16is released. When this isdone, the spring 20 will obviously move thecatch into engagement with the rack and in that way adjustably fix thesliding aw on the rack. It will also be noticed that by reason of anumber of teeth on the pivoted catch engaging a number of teeth of therack at a point in rear of the pivot of the catch there is no liabilityof the catch casually flying out of engagement with the rack, andtheparts are well adapted to with stand strain or pressure on thesliding jaw in a direction away from the fixed jaw.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that the pivoted catch and thespring backing the same are entirely inclosed in the body formed by thesections 11 and 12, and hence there is no liability of the said partsbeing injured or broken by striking against extraneous obj eots. It willalso be gathered that, my novel wrench is at once simple, inexpensive,and compact.

I claim In a sliding-jaw wrench, the combination with a shank having afixed jaw at one end and a handle at its opposite end and also having arack intermediate said jaw and handle; of a sliding aw arranged on theshank and comprising equally thick, slotted body-sections having innersides arranged to come togetherin the same vertical plane as thelongitudinal center of the shank and also having recesses 13 insaid'inner sides, the forward ends of which are rounded, and recesses 13in said inner sides at opposite sides of the recesses 13% with referenceto the rack, and extending forward beyond said recesses 13' and to apoint adjacent to the forwardends of the body-sections, means detachablyconnecting the body-sections together, a swinging catch for engaging therack, pivoted adjacent to its forward end in the recesses 13 and havingits said end rounded and snugly fitting the rounded ends of saidrecesses 13, thumbpieces extending laterally from the catch and throughthe slots of the body-sections, and a flat spring removably arranged inthe recesses 13 throughout the length of said recesses, whereby it isclamped between and held partly in one body-section and partly in theother, and extending rearwardly from the recesses 13 and having its rearportion disposed against the back of the catch.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

STEPHEN EICHIIEBURGER THOMAS. Witnesses:

H. W. PERKINS, G. L. HUNT.

